New directives put in place by the Department of Children and Families this week by management will only place children at further risk unless the caseload crisis is addressed, according to a spokesman representing DCF social workers.

Additionally, in a statement, the union spokesman contradicts Gov. Deval L. Patrick's claim there are no systemic issues within the agency.

Gov. Patrick's administration announced Thursday he was calling in the Child Welfare League of America as a "fresh set of eyes" to review operations of the DCF in light of problems that surfaced around the missing Fitchburg boy, 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver.

The agency recently came under fire after the Fitchburg boy whose family was under DCF supervision disappeared. Jeremiah Oliver hasn't been seen since September and is feared dead.

Three workers at the agency's Leominster office were fired, while the boy's mother and her boyfriend are facing charges.

The governor ordered the independent review of DCF Thursday, though he said more recent concerns from Northbridge public school officials about DCF's handling of child abuse reports were largely put to rest at a meeting on Tuesday. DCF Commissioner Olga I. Roche met with Northbridge School Superintendent Nancy Spitulnik and other school administrators over a series of complaints outlined in a letter from the superintendent last month.

School officials alleged that the agency was not responding appropriately to child abuse and neglect reports from teachers and school officials.

Jason A. Stephany, spokesman for Service Employees International Union Local 509, which represents caseworkers at DCF, said social workers are in favor of the independent review.

"Front-line social workers welcome an independent review from the Child Welfare League of America — a national leader in establishing safe caseload guidelines in child protective services," Mr. Stephany said in a statement.

"The recommendations of the League formed the backbone of the caseload agreement signed by DCF administrators last year, and we look forward to continuing our work with the League to bring caseloads down to the manageable levels needed to keep Massachusetts children safe."

But, he says, new directives put in place by management this week will only exacerbate problems unless additional staff is hired, placing children at greater risk.

"While front-line social workers support many of the interim case management changes put forward by DCF managers this week, we remain concerned with the impact these directives may have on the quality of services provided to at-risk youth," he said.

"Without a significant investment in additional staffing, the directives will only worsen the existing caseload crisis — placing children at greater risk."

Commissioner Olga I. Roche and her predecessor, Angelo McClain, signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this year promising caseloads for caseworkers would be reduced to 15 or fewer, he said, based on recommendations by the Child Welfare League of America.

However, in October in the North Central office in Leominster, which was charged with protecting the Oliver children, 30 caseworkers each had more than 20 cases on their dockets, he said, up from eight workers with more than 20 from that office in 2012.

Moreover, 69 workers had more than 18 cases and only two were in compliance with a caseload of 15, he said. The South Central office in Whitinsville has similar crisis-level caseloads, he said.

"The recommended levels that experts agree on as a maximum number of cases that any one social worker can handle is 12 to 15," Mr. Stephany said in an interview previously. "The state, after years of negotiations and protests, reached an agreement that Department of Children and Families caseworkers would have 15 or fewer cases per worker."

However, DCF has repeatedly said that Jeremiah's case was not about caseloads, and the social worker failed to carry out basic duties.

Mr. Patrick also told reporters this week he was not considering overhauling the agency or replacing its top officials. Mr. Patrick said problems surfacing around the Oliver case do not show widespread problems in DCF operations and he was satisfied there are not systemic issues.

However, in a statement, Mr. Stephany contradicts that claim.

"The number one priority of front-line social workers at the Department of Children and Families is keeping at-risk kids safe from abuse and neglect," he said in a statement. "That is why we have pushed so aggressively to identify systemic issues at DCF, including the crisis-level caseloads that overshadow the critical work social workers do each day."

SEIU Local 509 represents caseworkers at DCF, and more than 17,000 other human service workers and educators throughout the state.